Raised mostly by a surrogate family, Boston artist Lumina Gershfield is compelled to find out all that she can about her biological family. In particular, she hopes to connect with her grandmother, who in her youth faced a similar question to the one that currently concerns Lumina.

The Generations Project

Raised mostly by a surrogate family, Boston artist Lumina Gershfield is compelled to find out all that she can about her biological family.

Lumina

As an African American with a southern heritage, Durrell assumed his great-grandfather was a farmhand, but an old photo reveals this ancestor wearing a suit. Puzzled and eager to learn more, Durrell travels to Columbus, Mississippi.

Durrell

Katie Newbold’s life has been riddled with health problems, and she has most recently been diagnosed with precancerous polyps. As Katie looks to her family’s past to understand if these health issues are genetic, she is able to connect with a great-grandmother who died of a similar condition in her early 30s.

Katie’s great grandmother is said to have died of leukemia. After having her own share of health problems, Katie wants to know if her great-grandmother's health problems are genetic or not.

Katie

Maile wants to learn more about her ancestor that was sent to an island off of Hawaii, Kalaupapa, because she was diagnosed as a leper. Maile wants to learn what life was like for her, isolated from her children and family.

Hawaiian cultural educator Maile Mossman travels to the Kalaupapa leper colony to learn about her great-grandmother's life and discovers how the strength of our ancestor can live on in us.

Maile

John Searcy feels passionate about the power of a name. John wants to learn more about his namesake, his great-grandfather, in hopes of identifying morals and values that he can emulate. He travels to Florida and Georgia, where he learns about his surprising past.

John wants to learn where he got his name from and the type of person his great-grandpa was. He visits Andersonville Prison, Palmetto Agricultural Museum and Palmetto’s Yellow Fever Cemetery.

John

Deanna Jensen sets out on what seems to be an impossible journey of learning about her great-grandparents, who were killed in a house fire after throwing their 11-month-old daughter to safety. Deanna’s grandmother knows little about her parents, making it difficult for her to pass on their legacy.

Deanna’s great-grandparents died in a house fire. Deanna wants to learn the truth about what happened and what her great-grandparents' lives were like immigrating from Italy to St. Louis.

Deanna

Danielle's apathy concerning family history is razed when she learns that her African-American great-grandfather was the inventor and patent holder of the horse bridle in 1892. To learn more about her ancestor, Danielle journeys to Colonial Williamsburg to see what life would have been like for a man of his status.

Danielle learns that her great-grandfather was an inventor, so she looks into more of her ancestry.

Danielle

To find the truth behind the family legend that he has an East Indian princess in his pedigree, bridal gown designer James Walker travels to southern Utah to learn how this alleged princess would have fared in a rural community.

James

As Andrea undergoes her second bout of cancer, she must face drastic lifestyle changes. Join her as she draws strength and inspiration from her ancestors, particularly the independent women of her past.

Andrea

Gloria Squires has been troubled by a family story of her grandfather William, known only as a drunk who cheated on his wife and was ultimately found beaten to death. Gloria believes there is good in everyone and wants to find something admirable that she can pass on to future generations.

Gloria sets out to uncover any positive attributes for which her ancestor can be remembered.

Gloria

Former judge Boyd Mossman believes that he is related to Isaac Davis. Legend has it that Davis was the royal adviser to King Kamehameha, who allegedly gave Davis a Hawaiian princess to marry. Boyd researches the story of his ancestor to find out if the legend is true and if Boyd really is royalty.

Boyd wants to discover if his lineage traces back to Hawaiian royalty. He visits Iao Valley and Kauai Historical Society to find his answers.

Boyd

Vicki Biss believes she is part American Indian and travels to Shiloh, Tennessee, to discover the surprising truth behind the legend.

Vicki

Is pessimism hereditary? Lakia Holmes journeys through her great-grandmother’s life to find out. Her question takes her from the Big Apple to rural Alabama to the small schoolhouse of her great-grandmother’s youth, a harrowing reenactment of life as a slave and a surprise encounter with the grandfather she has never met.

After spending her childhood in foster care, Lakia Holmes looks to make a connection with her family through her great-grandmother.

Lakia

Pluto

Ed has spent his entire life believing he is Native American. But when a DNA test shakes that belief, Ed goes on a journey to discover the origin of his family.

Matthew seeks closure after his brother's death by walking in the shoes of his ancestors who fought in wars and grieved the loss of loved ones.

Matthew

Emily, Tara, Rachel and Sean share how The Generations Project has changed their lives after a year has passed.

Where Are They Now?

As Olympic snowboarder Graham reaches the end of his career, he looks to his ancestors for an example of selfless living to help him overcome his selfish habits.

Graham

Rachel spent her early years seeking praise from her father. When he died, she was left without hope of feeling that he approved of her. She looks to the examples of her ancestors to finally feel at peace with who she is.

Rachel

Roi Maufus hopes that through reconnecting with his father and exploring his family history, he will be able to understand how his ancestors dealt with racial persecution.

Amber wants to give her daughter a strong sense of identity, so she journeys through her daughter's African American heritage to help her find self-acceptance.

Amber

Raquel wants to start a family but has fears about juggling motherhood and her fast-paced career. She researches the mothers in her family tree to find the courage to confront her fears.

Raquel

Nancy Benjamin needs to learn a better way to handle her responsibilities as caretaker for her sick husband and hopes to learn about ancestors in her family history that successfully dealt with difficult circumstances.

Nancy

Computer tech David Dossett's need for positive reinforcement is turning into a self-absorbed pathology, and he must confront his greatest fear -- opening up emotionally to his family.

David

Jill has a lot of hard feelings toward her neglectful father. She wants to let go of these hurtful feelings and decides to confront her fears with an exploratory journey into her past.

Jill

Eli started an organization that promotes peace for indigenous war veterans. She embarks on her generations project so that she can learn from her ancestors who have struggled for purpose and peace.

After the tragedy of losing her youngest son, Natalie wants to learn about her heritage and find strength to be the mother her other three children need.

Natalie

What secrets run in your blood? This reality series uncovers the hidden identities in family pasts, proving that the best way to know who you are is to know who you came from.

Ed

Full Episodes

Season 3, 13 episodes